Three-Fifths Compromise
E61746
The Three-Fifths Compromise was an agreement in the early United States that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxation and representation in Congress, entrenching slavery’s political power.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
constitutional compromise
→
historical agreement → provision of the United States Constitution → |
| affectedGroup |
enslaved people in the United States
→
|
| appliesTo |
apportionment of seats in the United States House of Representatives
→
direct taxation among the states → |
| benefited |
slaveholding states
→
|
| category |
1787 in American law
→
Slavery-related legislation in the United States → United States constitutional history → |
| cause |
entrenchment of slavery’s political power
→
overrepresentation of slaveholding states in Congress → |
| contributedTo |
sectional tensions over slavery
→
|
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
→
|
| dateFormulated |
1787
→
|
| defines |
how enslaved people were counted for direct taxation
→
how enslaved people were counted for representation → |
| doesNotMean |
that enslaved people were legally three-fifths of a person in all contexts
→
|
| endedEffectivelyBy |
abolition of slavery in the United States
→
adoption of equal apportionment based on whole persons → |
| establishedRatio |
three-fifths of all other Persons
→
|
| formulatedAt |
Constitutional Convention
→
|
| formulatedIn |
Philadelphia
→
|
| foundIn |
Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
Founding era of the United States
→
|
| increased |
influence of slaveholding states in the Electoral College
→
political power of slaveholding states → representation of slaveholding states in the House of Representatives → |
| influenced |
balance of power between free and slave states
→
|
| legalStatus |
superseded
→
|
| longTermEffect |
impact on presidential elections through Electoral College apportionment
→
strengthening of pro-slavery coalitions in early U.S. politics → |
| moralAssessment |
widely regarded as racist and dehumanizing
→
|
| negotiatedBetween |
delegates from Northern states
→
delegates from Southern states → |
| partOf |
United States Constitution
→
|
| purpose |
to resolve dispute over counting enslaved people for representation
→
to secure agreement on the new United States Constitution → |
| relatedTo |
Electoral College of the United States
→
United States House of Representatives → direct taxes in the early United States → slavery in the United States → |
| scope |
federal representation and direct taxation only
→
|
| supersededBy |
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution → |
| textualPhrase |
three fifths of all other Persons
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Fugitive Slave Clause
→
|
relatedTo |
|
Constitutional Convention
→
|
significantEvent |